Maize Cantina

Back in the spring, when Maize Cantina first opened in Commack, the menu featured chef Michael Merida's innovative Latin assortment of pupusas, arepas, salads and side dishes. Now, in what Merida calls a response to customer requests, he’s added a roster of appetizers as well as four entrees. At lunch, he's also introduced the “quesandwich,”  his take on a flour tortilla wrap.

New appetizers include plantain empanadas, a lobster quesadilla, baby back ribs and grilled baby lamb chops as well as a tapas plate. There are also several thin crust pizzas with toppings that include a chorizo, chicken and roasted tomato combo with three cheeses, a Buffalo chicken pie with refried beans, a vegetable pizza and one with grilled marinated steak. The "chef's corner" of the menu lists four entrees: pork shoulder, grilled marinated hanger steak, sofrito-spiced salmon as well as chicken.

On a recent evening, dinner began with a lobster quesadilla appetizer, a combination of house-made tortilla, lobster meat, baby arugula and pickled onion salad with a truffle vinaigrette, bacon and a sunnyside-up egg. I found the flavor-texture layering of sweet lobster, sprightly greens, tangy pickled onion, crisp-salty bacon, runny egg and aromatic dressing nothing short of transporting.

Although an inky-looking mole sauce marred the visual appeal of the “pechuga de pollo” main course (pan roasted breast and braised leg of chicken with chipotle polenta, and baby spinach), the bird was so tender and hyper-flavorsome that eye appeal seemed irrelevant.  And I loved the “El Chicharron,” crisp shreds of pork shoulder compressed into a boxlike shape, served with fennel puree and a yucca-potato gratin.

Maize Cantina is at 1141 Jericho Tpke., Commack, 631-864-2777